TUC asked to reduce cost

The Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC) is asking government to step up efforts to reduce the spiraling cost
of living in the country.

The Union said government is too focused on maintaining inflation in the single digits at the expense of making life more bearable for the average working Ghanaian.

It noted that whiles the macroeconomic indicators might look promising; the end effect is not felt among the populace.

In an interview with Joy News, acting Secretary General of the TUC, Dr. Yaw Baah, wondered why, for instance, it takes a worker who earns the minimum wage, four days to buy a delicacy like tilapia, stressing, “that is not good enough."

The National Tripartite Committee increased the minimum daily wage by 20 percent in February.

What it meant was that workers shall not receive less than 3.73 cedis as daily minimum wage, but the new wage has not been implemented since February.

The TUC is not enthused about the situation and is calling on the government to turn its attention to the plight of the people.

“We wanted to bring out the issue of the rising cost of living and the relationship with living standards because once politicians start using inflation and start saying it’s slow… there is the tendency for people to think that cost of living is falling. Cost of living is not falling. It is the rate of increase which is falling,” Dr. Yaw Baah said.

Dr Baah added that government must, as a matter of urgency, implement the 20 percent across board pay increase agreed upon for 2011 before Christmas.